Show ContentsGarrard History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Garrard

What does the name Garrard mean?

The Garrard name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Garrard is derived from the son of Gerard. The surname Garrard was originally derived from the Old German Gerhard which meant spear-brave. 1

Early Origins of the Garrard family

The surname Garrard was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where the Latin form Gerardus and Girardus were listed. 2 The Latin form prevailed into the next century when Gerardus was listed in Norfolk in 1134-1140, and in 1149-1162 in Lincolnshire. 1

Other early records include: John, Hugo Gerard in the Pipe Rolls for Northumberland in 1199; William Gerart in the Assize Rolls for Staffordshire in 1281; Henry Jerard in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1284; John Gerrard, Thomas Garard, and William Garrarde in Yorkshire in 1412, 1429 and 1458. 1

Gerard (died 21 May 1108), "Archbishop of York, was the nephew of Walkelin, bishop of Winchester, and his brother Simeon, abbot of Ely, and therefore, possibly, a distant kinsman of the Conqueror. He was precentor of the cathedral of Rouen, and afterwards a clerk of William Rufus's chapel and chancery. William dispatched him in 1095, in company with William of Warelwast, afterwards bishop of Exeter, to the papal court on a secret and delicate mission in connection with the dispute between the king and Anselm. The alleged object of their embassage was to investigate the claims of the two rival popes." 3

He was Lord Chancellor of England (1085-1092) appointed by William I, and later Archbishop of York (1100-1108.) He may have been with the king's hunting party when William II was killed, as he witnessed the first charter issued by the new king, Henry I of England, a few days later.

Windle with Hardshaw in Lancashire was home to the family in later years. "In the reign of Edward III., the manor was held under William Boteler by Peter de Burnhull, with whose heiress the Gerards acquired the property; and this latter family are the present lords. Windle Hall belongs to Sir John Gerard, Bart., at whose annual court lor the manor of Windle, officers are chosen for the township." 4

"Gerrard or Gerard is a very old Lancashire name. The Gerards of Bryn were lords of the manor of Brindle from the 14th to the 16th century: this distinguished family stands amongst the foremost of the Lancashire families, both in early and in more recent times, and received a baronetcy from James I." 5

"The Gerrards were an ancient and titled Cheshire family. The Lords Gerard of Gerards Bromley from the 16th to the 18th century were descended from the Gerards of Ince in Lancashire; the Gerards of Kingsley and Crewood came from Hawarden in Flintshire in the time of Edward I. " 5

Early History of the Garrard family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Garrard research. Another 127 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1177, 1545, 1555, 1559, 1564, 1581, 1587, 1593, 1601, 1611, 1613, 1617, 1618, 1622, 1634, 1640, 1641, 1650, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1667, 1670, 1680, 1683, 1685, 1687, 1689, 1694, 1700, 1701 and 1724 are included under the topic Early Garrard History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrard Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Garrard were recorded, including Gerrard, Gerard, Jarrard, Jared, Garrad, Garred, Jarratt, Jarrett and many more.

Early Notables of the Garrard family

Notables of the family at this time include John Gerard (Gerarde) (1545-1611), an English botanist and herbalist, who maintained a large herbal garden in London, eponym of the botanical genus Gerardia; Sir Gilbert Gerard (died 1593), a prominent lawyer, politician, and landowner who served six times as a member of the English parliament, Attorney-General (1559) Master of the Rolls (1581); Sir Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard (ca. 1564-1618); Gilbert Gerard, 2nd Baron Gerard (d. 1622); Dutton Gerard, 3rd Baron Gerard (1613-1640); Charles Gerard, 4th Baron Gerard (1634-1667); Sir Gilbert Gerard, 1st Baronet of Harrow on...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Garrard Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Garrard Ranking

In the United States, the name Garrard is the 9,335th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6


Garrard migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Garrard family emigrate to North America:

Garrard Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Justinian Garrard, who landed in Virginia in 1650 7
  • Hen Garrard, who landed in Virginia in 1663 7
  • Henry Garrard, who arrived in Virginia in 1693 7
Garrard Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John H Garrard, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1822 7
  • William Garrard, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1827 7
  • John Garrard, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1833 7
  • Robert J Garrard, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 7
  • Seman H Garrard, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrard migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Garrard Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Samuel Garrard, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. Thomas Garrard, English convict who was convicted in Norwich, Norfolk, England for life, transported aboard the "Chapman" on 6th April 1824, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • Mr. James Garrard, English convict who was convicted in Suffolk, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 20th August 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
  • henry A. Garrard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Caspar" in 1849 10
  • Edgar Garrard, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "John Munn" in 1849 11
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Garrard migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Garrard Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Garrard, (b. 1848), aged 26, English settler from Essex travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 12
  • Mrs. Eliza Garrard, (b. 1852), aged 22, English settler from Essex travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 12

Garrard migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Garrard Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Edward Garrard, aged 26, who arrived in Barbados in 1635 7
  • Mr. Edward Garrard, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler travelling from London, England aboard the ship "Anne and Elizabeth" arriving in Barbados in 1635 14

Contemporary Notables of the name Garrard (post 1700) +

  • Robert Garrard, English businessman who in 1792 became a partner in what would later become Garrard & Co. Limited, designers and manufactures luxury jewellery and silver who was charged with the upkeep of the British Crown Jewels, from 1843 to 2007
  • Theophilus Toulmin Garrard (1812-1902), American politician and Union general in the American Civil War
  • Lewis Hector Garrard (1829-1887), American author
  • Kenner Garrard (1827-1879), American brigadier general in the Union Army during the American Civil War
  • James Garrard (1749-1822), American farmer, Baptist minister and politician, 2nd Governor of Kentucky (1796-1804)
  • David Douglas Garrard (b. 1978), retired American NFL football quarterback who played for twelve seasons
  • George Garrard (1760-1826), English animal painter and sculptor, born on 31 May 1760 15
  • Thomas Garrard (1787-1859), English biographer, the eldest son of Thomas Garrard of Lambourne, Berkshire
  • Charles R. Garrard (b. 1877), English managing director of the Garrard Co. who built Clément-Garrard motorised cycles from 1902 to 1905 in Birmingham
  • Luke Garrard (b. 1985), English semi-professional footballer
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Eric Garrard, British Engine Room Artificer 5th Class, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 16


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 26th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/chapman
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
  10. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CASPAR 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Caspar.htm
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOHN MUNN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849JohnMunnPassengers.htm
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  14. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Retrieved 23rd September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  15. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  16. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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